Date Night Look

Hello Everyone!

So as we all know, Valentines day is fast approaching and that means it's time for a special night out!

Today, I decided to show you all a step-by-step tutorial for a date night eye make-up look. ENJOY!

1. First, put on concealer, foundation, and powder on your face.

2. Use primer on your eyelids. A eye primer will make the eyeshadow colors appear more vibrate and last longer than just eyeshadow alone. I am using Kat Von D high voltage eye primer in "Stellar."

3. Next, take a flat brush and apply a beige color on the center of your eyelids. I am using Clinque color surge eyeshadow duo in "like mink."

4. Now, take an angled brush and apply a purple eyeshadow starting on the outer corner and blend inwards. Also, using the same purple eyeshadow, take a small flat brush and apply this color on the outer bottom corner of your eye. I am using Revlon perle eyeshadow in "violet starlet."

5. Take a white eyeshadow and using a small smudge brush, apply a white eyeshadow on the inner corner of your eyes. I am using Revlon perle eyeshadow in "glistening snow."

6. Using a dark brown eyeliner, line your lash line and your waterline. A dark brown color will not look as harsh as black and will look more natural. I am using Revlon colorstay eyeliner in "brown."

7. Using liquid eyeliner, create a cat eye effect by winging your eyeliner. A liquid eyeliner will be easier to use than a pencil eyeliner. A gel eyeliner can be used here as well. I am using Loreal the super slim liquid eyeliner in "black."

8. To finish the eye makeup, put on many coats of mascara to create those long lashes! I am using Clinique high impact mascara in "01 black."

9. Finish off the look with your favorite pink lipstick and blush! (Oh and make sure you style your hair!)

Good Luck!

<3 Jen

Jennifer was in Austin!!

This past weekend my best friend, Jennifer came up from Houston to visit! Of course you know what we spent time doing- gossip!! But instead of posting about those boring things, here are some of the other things we did around the city :)

We were bored waiting in line so... picture time!

I finally got to eat at the acclaimed Ramen Tatsuya! Before some of yall get confused, the food this place serves is NOT the same as those instant ramen noodles you get from the grocery store. Although we had to wait for over an hour to even get in the door, the ramen and broth was totally worth it. I ordered the original which was pork flavored. It was a little salty, but still delicious! I would definently go through the looooong wait again just to try the other three choices on the ramen menu.

My yummy ramen <3

Posing in the graffiti bathroom- a girls must!

Jennifer loves her ramen (and that girl can be picky)

Milk tea with tapioca

After dinner, we went next door to Coco's Cafe where I ordered my favorite milk tea with tapioca (no surprise there). For some reason, I can never tire of that drink. I drank it literally the night before, but by the next day was still desiring its taste- I'm so weird... and unhealthy! Jennifer was way better than me in her choice of drinks because she got the avocado milk tea- we are so different!!

The next morning (Sunday) we had our tradition of eating breakfast at Ken's Donuts. This cheap yummy eatery is always a place where all of us gorge ourselves on sweet donuts and Indian samosas (I don't eat the latter though because spicy food makes my head hurt). Although I ordered more than one donut that morning, I only took a picture of one to show yall because I didn't want to feel bad about how much I have fallen off my diet plan this weekend.

Apple fritter- dosen't look that appetizing but its delicious!

The best part about this weekend wasn't all the delicious food we ate (although it was pretty great), but it was getting to hang out with Jennifer because we rarely get to see each other during the school year. Being reunited with someone after a long period of time is a feeling that only the one going through it can understand. I love you Jen!!

Love, Kathleen

The Art of Waiting

Sometimes I feel like I have been waiting my whole life for something- waiting to grow up, waiting to meet the perfect guy, waiting to graduate from college, waiting to live in New York, etc... At every stage in my life I am always thinking about a better position in the future and recently I've discovered that instead of giving me hope it only leaves me feeling discontented with my current life. It's like the way I am now isn't enough to keep me satisfied and I end up believing that things will be better in the future. However, something I've come to realize is that things may not always end up the way I dream they will and that by living my life in the future sense, I am missing out on current reality. I remember when I was little I wanted to be 16 so badly because, to me, that age represented the ultimate independence- I would be able to do whatever I wanted and become whoever I wanted. I spent all this time dreaming about what life would be like at 16 that I didn't really enjoy being 10. Then, when I finally reached age 16, it wasn't all that great (yes, I had more independence, but I also had to study for the dreaded SAT and prepare to apply to college). At that time I remember thinking I could not wait to be in college and get everything over with. I am now 20 years old and its come to my notice that childhood is actually one of the best times in a person's life. There are no responsibilities or worries because your parents take care of everything. A child just focuses on being happy. I wish now that when I was 10 I had taken more time to appreciate the circumstances I had then instead of spending time waiting to grow up. This reflection has made me realize that by constantly thinking about a better life in the future I am not enjoying my life now and am passing by little things that I may or may not have in the future. Instead of waiting to graduate from college (so the unending list to tests is over), I should be experiencing college life to the fullest- spending time with my friends, exploring the city of Austin, and trying new things.


If any of you are waiting for something better in life like I was, I challenge you to take a look at everything that is going on in your life now and take the time to appreciate it. Just like the innocence of childhood, it may not always be with you in the future. The future may hold wonderful things to look forward to, but will also be missing many of things wonderful things you have now. Get rid of the art of waiting and experience life to the fullest- without regrets.

Love,
Kathleen

Time for Nails, Nails, Nails!!

One of the best parts of being a girl (aside from getting to wear cute dresses and makeup, saving money on dates, and letting guys open doors for you) is that you always have an excuse to get our pampered by getting your nails done. Whether its the relief of a test being over or the celebration of a best friend's birthday, doing nails has been a girls tradition for years. This past Tuesday was my sorority's first Rush event of the year and the theme was "moji-toes"- we invited rushees to have their nails painted with cute designs while sipping drinks and chatting (the perfect way to start school!). It made me really realize how much I missed my sisters over the break. I feel like the time we spent together doing nails embodies the true meaning of sisterhood- enjoying even the little things together :) While I'm hopeless at nail design and would much rather have someone else paint my nails, I love seeing all my sisters getting their creative side on. Thought I'd share some of their masterpieces!!

Love, Kathleen

Flowers!

My lovely pledge sister, Vicky, did my nails for me!

Hard at work doing nails... with cookies for snacks of course!

Putting on rhinestones :)

New Semester, New Beginning :)

My spring 2013 semester at UT is officially starting tomorrow with mixed feelings. While I'm definitely looking forward to being reunited with my roommates and given another chance to raise my wavering GPA, a new semester also brings a whole schedule of hard business classes and plenty of long nights cramming for hard tests. I am currently signed up for 15 hours which include managerial accounting and the dreaded business statistics class, but also an online communication writing based class which I am oddly excited for. On the bright side, my sorority's rush also begins tomorrow! Rush is one of my favorite times of the semester because I get to meet so many new amazing girls and see them become my sisters. With rush comes many fun sisterhood events such as nail painting parties, cookie decorating, dinners, and mixers- I love getting the chance to catch up with my sorority sisters after 5 weeks of separation (and I promise to keep yall updated on our craziness!).
At the beginning of every semester I always am full of expectations that this is the semester that I will get a 4.0 GPA. This has happened a grand total of only once sadly :( and it probably won't happen again, also very sad. So I have decided to focus my energies this semester on being a better friend and sister! Watch out NganAnhJenniferChenyuTinaYenNadiraDaisyBobbieChayanitHasanthiVickyReneeElysiaEmilyCarolineEveryoneelseIlove!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am going to spend more time with all of you so you can look forward to Kathleen time :) If any of you see my retreating into my MIA shell, please pull me out immediately!  One of my biggest regrets at the end of last semester (aside from my hopeless GPA) is that I spent a lot of time by myself either studying or watching TV. This semester I am going to show everyone how much I care about them by giving them the gift of time!


Love, Kathleen

What I did for Love... of Cookies!

It's no secret among my friends that I love to eat! Recently I have had a craving for yummy cookies, but have for some reason no desire to eat store bought ones. The only remaining option is to make my own! Normally I would trick my talented roommate, Chenyu, into baking some for me but since its winter break, I have no choice but to head to the kitchen myself. I'm pretty sure everyone's very shocked right now- me, baking for the second time in two weeks! After looking through my sister's cookies cookbook (yes she has a cookbook all about cookies!), I finally found the shortest recipe and ingredients list- perfect for me :)

Chocolate Chip Butter Cookies

What you need:
1 cup butter
1 cup confectioner's sugar
2 cups flour
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

What to do:
Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl
Drop mixture in round balls onto baking sheet
Flatten the cookie balls
Bake for 12 minutes at 375 degrees





I made the following cookies a few days later because I was craving sugar cookies :)

Chewy Sugar Cookies

What you need:
2 3/4 cups of flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups of butter
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

What to do:
Mix ingredients together in bowl one by one until dough is light and fluffy
Roll dough into balls and drop on baking sheet 2 inches apart
Flatten the cookie balls slightly
Bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees

Going into the oven after much mixing!

Finished sugar cookies

Happy eating! My cookies didn't turn out visibly appealing, but they were still delicious!

Love, Kathleen

The Magic of Eating Out

Part of the downside of living in the suburbs is that there is literally nothing to do during breaks. It makes it hard to find a nice place to catch up with friends that you don't get to see during he school year. There are only three options available  the movie theater (such a high school location!), the malls (too tempting to waste even more money than I already have), and going out to eat at the many restaurants located in Clear Lake and surrounding areas. Since the first two choices are definitively out for me, I spent Friday eating out for lunch and dinner. Of course, with my love for food it wasn't something I had to endure, but my poor jeans probably felt abused afterwards...

For lunch, my dad took me to this place downtown called Grand Lux Cafe to meet up with one of his college buddies. Its a typical American eatery owned by the same chain that owns Cheesecake Factory, which is why all lot of the menu looked very familiar to me. The inside of the restaurant is pretty fancy(it looks kind of like a medieval castle!) although the food was mostly casual and on the lower priced end. Their dishes included pasta, burgers, steak, sandwiches- nothing too out of the ordinary. I ordered the shrimp scampi (most of the time its out of my budget range, but since my dad was paying...) and it was delicious!

Such fancy architecture!

Shrimp Scampi

Inside of the restaurant

The very thick menu

For dinner I got to go on a big/ little date with my lovely sorority big sis! We went to Cafe Express, which surprisingly I have never been to. The food and surroundings are very casual, but there was a cute patio outside (sadly it was to cold for us to use). I ordered a roasted turkey sandwich with fries, which tasted like any other sandwich you make at home would taste. The best part of the dinner was spending time with my big- we haven't seen each other since last May!

Forgot to take a picture before eating lol!

the cafe!

Me and my big!

Throughout this day I've realized the power food can bring. Not just deliciousness of the dishes, but the fact that its a way to celebrate or be reunited with someone. Eating at a restaurant is another way of making a memory and creating cherished moments. The next time I eat out with my family or friends I will remember to look past the food and instead remind myself how lucky I am to share this moment with those I love.

Love, Kathleen

It's a New Year (finally)!!

I'm posting this a few days late because... I hope yall enjoyed the previous post by my best friend, Jennifer!

Thought I'd post an older picture of us since all the recent pictures have been from her birthday dinner. Don't we look so carefree? That was before I started accounting classes and before she started studying for the PCAT -__-

Anyways.... It's finally 2013! And... the world has yet to end. That means there's time to improve ourselves and create new resolutions that may or may not be achieved during the year. Usually I have a list of 10-15 resolutions ready to be accomplished, only most of the time none of them get accomplished. So this year I have changed my strategy- I am going to focus my energy on succeeding at two resolutions instead of 10.

1. Plan less and enjoy life more! Jesus said, "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Instead of desiring to plan myself the perfect life year after year and failing, I should let God show me the path he has designed for me.

2. Stand up for myself instead of hiding behind my friends or holding what I have to say inside. This past year I have learned that part of bring a mature classy lady is being able to stand up for yourself and your beliefs when something makes you uncomfortable and I want to continue this into the new year.

I'll need all of you to help me achieve these resolutions throughout the year. Hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday season and high hopes for an amazing new year!

 Love,
Kathleen

Jen verses Kat

Hello Everyone!!!

I am Jennifer and instead of having a boring introduction about who I am and what I do, I thought it would be interesting to write about the differences and similarities of style between Kathleen and me.

Kathleen and I are, of course, very similar. How else would we be such close friends? We both love good food, shopping for good deals and TALKING!!! (You all already saw her post about her cookie pizza.)

OVERVIEW:

Kathleen: The girly-girl type who will get things done. She is the girl you will see with the bows, the pink, and the bubbly personality. She is the type who will break you the news gently and will definitely take your feelings into consideration. For example, I was telling her how someone I trusted ended up ditching me for something "she had to do for her future." Kathleen just told me nicely that she realized in college that many people out there are selfish and that even if we have bad things happen to us, we need to work it out to help ourselves. (Honesty and good advice. Yeah, that's why she's my friend.) Kathleen loves organizing social events. She will organize an event and it will come out AMAZING!!! Be warned, her organization is near-flawless but will show signs of her awesome personality. These past few months, I have seen my bow-loving, pink-wearing bestie gradually turn into a button-down shirt, grey business suit purchasing lady. Oi, this growing up thing is really getting to my friend of nine years. But hey, even if a tulip bud blooms, it is still a tulip, right?

Me (Jennifer): The chameleon-girl type who will take things as they are and make it work. What is a chameleon-girl? Don't feel bad if you don't know what that means, I made it up just now! ;) Basically, I am the girl who will adjust myself to fit in the environment. When I worked in the pharmacy for about a year, I was professional and composed. I did not let people's less-than-nice comments influence me and I bit my lip every time I got a tongue lashing and then smiled and worked out the issue. What am I like with friends, you ask? I am definitly a joker. I love a good laugh, good music, and a fun environment. (But I am not one to drink to get "wasted.") Don't mistake this "chameleon-girl type" as being two-faced. I am definitely the girl who will tell you like it is. I have yet to purchase a nice button-down shirt (Actually, I don't even own a good one.) But with the idea of pharmacy interviews ahead I probably should purchase one...

Style:

Kathleen: Cute, cute, and cute. Oh and did I mention cute? She is the girl with the cutesy poses. You know, the arch back and hands on hip one. Ok, maybe I do that pose too, but somehow Kathleen's cute personality shows through. The way she puts her clothes together is cute too...
Examples:
1. Sparkly long dress and a tiny tiara (Here, you see the cute pose)

2. Pink body-con dress and a bow headband (Notice the pose)

3. Purple dress that has a bow on it (the classic hand on hip pose)

Yep, she is a cute one.

Me (Jennifer): Feminine vintage with a modern twist. Basically, I love lace, sequins and anything that's "in style." I will always be on the look out of what is out there and what looks good on me, (Studded heels? Check! Feather hair extensions? No, this frizzy hair of mine already looks like an animal. Galaxy-theme clothes? Nope, but I want to get some!!)
Examples:
1. Color block body-con dress with sequin/lace cover up

2. Teal lace dress with faux leather belt with feathers

3. Turquoise tie-dye dress, coral undershirt and leather belt

I know you all think I'm obsessed with wearing blue, but it just so happens that those styles only came in that color. :)

Enjoy the New Year!

With Peace and Love,

Jen